1. Field of the Invention
An apparatus is provided for generating, upon a predetermined surface area of a body of water, an upwardly projecting ultrasonically activated column of water having finely divided water particles thereabout and thereabove and the lower end of a vertical tube or chimney is spaced slightly above the water level and about the water column. Dry oxygen under pressure is introduced into a closed inlet chamber disposed about the lower end of the chimney. The oxygen is passed over the surface of the water toward and upwardly about the water column and into the chimney for humidification by the ultrasonically divided water particles. The humidified oxygen and remaining non-evaporated particles of water then pass upwardly through the chimney and laterally outwardly into a closed mixing chamber disposed about the upper end of the chimney. The oxygen and remaining finely divided particles of water then pass downwardly through the mixing chamber in a swirling motion to ensure substantial evaporation of the remaining fine water particles before discharge of the humidified oxygen laterally outward from the bottom of the mixing chamber.
2. Description of Related Art
Various different forms of gas humidifying devices including some of the general structural and operational features of the instant invention heretofore have been provided. Examples of these previously known devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,852,022, 3,387,607, 3,593,712, 4,243,396, 4,319,155 and 4,776,990. However, these previously known devices do not include the overall combination of structural features of the instant invention nor do they disclose the specific path of gas to be humidified both immediately prior and subsequent to the co-mingling of water vapor and finely divided water particles during the water evaporation process before discharge of humidified oxygen from the humidifier. The prior devices do not feature application of ultrasonically generated water vapor to oxygen used in medical therapy.